Spectroscopic analysis, including absorption spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy, may be used in applications in research and industry in various fields including chemistry, food science, biology, pharmacology, materials/nanotechnology, and water quality analysis in various environmental, geology, hydrology, oceanography/limnology, and soil science applications, for example. General-purpose commercially available spectroscopy instruments may have various design compromises to accommodate both absorbance and fluorescence measurements while meeting instrument performance requirements associated with wavelength operating range, resolution, and throughput, among others. These instruments often compete in the marketplace based not only on instrument performance, but also on cost, operability, maintenance requirements (user and/or technician), flexibility or adaptability for multiple applications, as well as the physical bench space required for a precision instrument that may be used only occasionally.